Orange Pop: Detroit Bar readies for 10th birthday

A little more than a month after 9/11, Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa celebrated its grand opening, receiving an overwhelming welcome from locals who turned out for the inaugural show, headlined by long-running Franco-English electro-rock group Stereolab.

“We were literally painting walls and laying carpet the afternoon of the show,” co-founder Dan Bradley recelled during a recent chat. “It was definitely memorable.”

Bradley, along with his brother Ryan and several other partners, is part of the Memphis Group, which oversees several local businesses in that area, including Memphis Café, Memphis at the Santora, Memphis Catering and Events and the Tin Lizzie Saloon. Detroit Bar, at 843 W. 19th St. – previously Club Mesa, a popular punk rock club from the late '80s into the '90s – was purchased just a month before they reopened the joint, Bradley shares. It underwent extensive interior renovations to create a more hip lounge vibe, while a state-of-the-art sound system was installed in the hope of hosting more top-notch talent.

As the anniversary of the venue's first decade fast approaches, Bradley says memories of successful nights at the club have been flooding back to him.

“It's been a great ride,” he says. “We've seen a lot of exciting shows over the years, worked with some really talented people.” Among the gigs that stick out most in his mind are sets from the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, plus a rather fiery performance from Modest Mouse in 2004.

“During that show there was a fire at the adjacent tenant,” Bradley recalls. “Of all nights, we have Modest Mouse, a huge rock band that we're trying to impress, and here we had to file everyone out of the venue. They let us back in after the fire was put out, so we got to finish the show at least.”

“It's been fun to see some of these bands go on and do some great things,” Bradley says. “I give credit to the talent buyers that we have booking those bands – they have great taste and sensibility. They really do have a knack for picking out quality talent.”

Given how many other small venues have closed their doors in the past 10 years, Bradley knows he's extremely fortunate to have had such success. He attributes staying afloat to his loyal employees, fans of the club and the increasingly popular artists who continue to schedule Detroit on tour stops.

“For us, it's never really been about the money or profit. I think other operators may have called it quits on several occasions throughout our run, especially during 2008 and 2009 – those were pretty rough years. But I think, more than anything, we're still here because this is a passion for us.

"We're good neighbors to the surrounding area; a lot of clubs suffer from noise complaints and fights, but we've worked really hard at making sure we're a compliment to the area. We also have very little turnover here on staff. Everyone's committed to this – it really is like a family over here. At the end of the day, yes, we need to make some money to keep the doors open, but we've been really lucky.”

Memphis Group just signed a new long-term lease, securing the venue for an extended run, while it also has partnered with the newly reopened and remodeled Yost Theater in downtown Santa Ana. At almost quadruple the capacity of Detroit Bar, it can host larger events billed under the banner “Detroit Bar Presents.”

“We're here to stay,” Bradley insists. “We'll be doing some upgrades and remodeling to enhance the show experience and add capacity here at the bar. But we're just going to continue doing what we've been doing. The mission remains the same.”

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